The World Economic Forum, known as the Davos Forum, has canceled the 2021 edition, which was to take place in Singaporethe organizers announced this Monday, specifying that the next meeting will be in the first half of 2022.

The location and final date of the annual meeting will be determined later, depending on a reassessment of the situation during the summer, indicated the organizers of this event that usually brings together political and financial leaders at the Davos resort in the Swiss Alps.

The annual forum was scheduled to be held in Singapore in August, after being postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.

But, Singapore, so far little affected by the pandemic, announced last week a series of restrictions to stem a recent surge in cases.

"It was a difficult decision, not least because of the great interest of our partners in having a face-to-face meeting in order to contribute to a more resilient, more inclusive and more sustainable world," Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the forum, said in a statement.

"But the health and safety of everyone involved remains our top priority," he added.

In the statement, the organizers pointed to uncertain travel prospects, different vaccination rates, and uncertainty about new variants "that make it impossible to organize an international meeting with business, government, and civil society leaders on the scale originally planned.

With the health crisis, the Davos Forum was initially moved to Bürgenstock, also in Switzerland, but later the organizers opted to hold the meeting in Singapore, where it was to take place between August 17 and 20.

Last January, the forum organized a videoconference event to discuss the issues of the moment, namely the pandemic, vaccines, and the economic crisis.